Governance Officer

Posted:

21 October 2025

London

Full time

Legal

Permanent

Salary:

Competitive

Benefits:

Competitive

Closing Date:

14 November 2025

Ref:

494

Job Title: Governance Officer

Location: London

Job Type: Permanent

Agencies: We will only work with recruitment partners on our preferred supplier list and will not engage with speculative CVs submitted.

Are you passionate about making life science life changing and delivering impact for patients? We want to hear from you.

About the role:

This is a great opportunity to join our legal and compliance team to provide organisational, administrative and operational support to LifeArc's governance function, ensuring the smooth running of Board and Committee processes, accurate record-keeping, and compliance with statutory and regulatory requirements.

About you:

You will:

• Coordinate logistics for Board and Committee meetings, including scheduling, collation of papers, and minute-taking as required.
• Maintain statutory registers, governance calendars, and accurate records of Board and Committee activities.
• Assist with timely filings to Companies House and other regulatory bodies, ensuring accuracy and completeness.
• Support the review and maintenance of governance policies, terms of reference, and procedural documents.
• Assist in the administration of LifeArc's subsidiaries, including documentation and meeting support.
• Act as a point of contact for internal and external stakeholders on routine governance matters.
• Contribute to governance-related projects and initiatives, including process improvements, system updates and training.
• Work closely with the Head of Governance, the Deputy General Counsel and the wider Legal and Governance team to ensure effective delivery of governance service

Experience required:

Essential:

• Understanding of corporate governance principles and company secretarial practices.
• Experience supporting formal meetings and preparing governance documentation.
• Strong organisational and administrative skills.

Desirable:

• Experience in a charity, research organisation, or highly regulated environment.
• Familiarity with governance software (e.g. Diligent).

Education:

Essential:

• Educated to university degree level or equivalent.

Desirable:

• Working towards or interest in a governance qualification (e.g. ICSA/CGI UK & Ireland) or a legal qualification.
• Relevant vocational training in business administration or legal support.

Skills & abilities:

• Ability to work under pressure to tight deadlines.
• Proactive; anticipating issues and working to avoid bottlenecks
• Ability to manage multiple competing tasks and prioritise effectively.
• Ensures accuracy in documentation and record-keeping.
• Communicates clearly and professionally with a range of stakeholders.
• Collaborates effectively within the governance team and across departments.
• Handles confidential information with professionalism.
• Proactively identifies and resolves routine governance issues.

About us:

LifeArc is a not-for-profit life science organisation, leading the way for change in rare diseases in the UK and supporting promising initiatives in global health. We seek out research in areas of unmet need that has great potential, providing support to help it become breakthroughs that change lives.

What we can offer you:

Focused on finding life changing solutions for underserved patients, our people thrive in an inclusive, and supportive environment that prioritises their health and wellbeing. Our multidisciplinary approach guarantees our people growth opportunities, while our culture of innovation and collaboration drives the impact we make delivering on our purpose of 'putting patients at the centre of everything we do'.

LifeArc is committed to making our recruitment practices as inclusive as possible and developing a culture that values differences. As a Disability Confident Employer, we guarantee an interview to candidates with a disability or long-term health condition who meet the essential criteria for the role.

Please note that in certain situations, such as high volumes of applications, it may not be practical to interview all eligible candidates. In these cases, we may need to select those who best meet the essential criteria. (At LifeArc, the Disability Confident Scheme's 'minimum criteria' is referred to as 'essential criteria')

Salary will be determined by qualifications and experience along with other exceptional benefits. Because we understand everyone has different requirements, our flexible benefits allow you to choose those which are important to you. Our pension scheme offers employer contributions of up to 12%, private health insurance, and annual leave of 31 days PLUS bank holidays.

Don't meet every single requirement? Studies have shown that women and people from minority ethnic backgrounds, for example, are less likely to apply to jobs unless they meet every single qualification. At LifeArc we are dedicated to building a diverse, inclusive, and authentic workplace, so whatever your background or lived experience, if you're excited about this role but your experience doesn't align perfectly with every qualification in the job description, we encourage you to apply anyway. Our top priority is finding the best candidate, and you may be just right for this or other roles.

We all have potential. At LifeArc, you'll discover what you can really do with it.

At LifeArc, we commit to advancing equal opportunities and building a diverse workforce by ensuring a fair, inclusive, and accessible recruitment experience for all. We employ individuals based on their suitability for the work to be performed and their potential for development, regardless of age, sex, race, colour, nationality, ethnic or national origin, disability, marital status, pregnancy or maternity, sexual orientation, gender reassignment, religion, or belief. Our commitment to equity, diversity and inclusion includes creating a culture where everyone feels they belong, is valued for who they are and has the opportunity to translate their potential.

We want every candidate to do their very best. If you require special assistance or reasonable adjustments, please be sure to let us know in advance what will be most useful for you and / or to discuss your needs.

We only work with recruitment partners on our preferred supplier list, and will not engage with speculative CVs submitted.

Please note we are actively recruiting, and the closing date may be brought forward if we find the right person for this role.